Small Town
by Bookworms will rule the world
Summary: Violet Knight just moved from New York City to Storybrooke, Maine, and the only good thing she sees about it is getting her horse closer to her house. But getting tangled up in Henry and his crazy family is one thing she hadn't factored in. VioletBeliever, Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, so I wrote this thing. It'll probably be a 2-3 shot.**

 **Warning, this is really cliched, I'm in love with VioletBeliever just a smidge too much.**

* * *

 **Violet's POV**

I was bored. That was the best way to put it.

My father had asked me at least 5 times in the last hour if I was excited.

No one was excited about moving from Manhattan to a tiny town in Maine.

We were moving in just in time for school, so wouldn't be starting school in the middle of the year. Still, that left me with three days to to get accustomed to living in Storybrooke, Maine. Yay.

We glided through quiet streets, and I miss the noise. In New York, it wouldn't matter if it was 5 am. But this place was as silent as a tomb.

We finally (finally!) pulled up in front of our new home. It was a pretty nice single family, in Storybrooke's version of 'downtown'.

The movers had already begun unloading.

We pitched in and supervised, and tried to push back our tiredness.

By the time all the boxes were in the living room, it was 5:45 am, and I desperately needed coffee.

Another drawback to Storybrooke- no 24 hour Starbucks.

A light flicked on in the shopfront next door, and I could now read the writing in the window.

"Granny's Diner, open 7am-8pm, Monday through Sunday.

Established in 1973"

The bell attached to the door jingled, and a woman in an apron with tousled blond hair poked her head outside.

"Hi. Are you the new neighbors?" she asked.

"Um, yes. Do you own this place?" My dad asked.

"Yeah. Well, my family does." She smiled. "Oh, you've probably been out there for ages. Come in!"

We headed inside, and were met with the delicious smell of cooking food.

We sat down at the bar stools in front of the kitchen, and the woman walked in behind us.

She held out her hand to my dad. "Hi. I'm Emma Swan."

My father accepts it. "Morgan Knight. This is my daughter, Violet."

"Hi Violet." She smiled.

"Hey, do you want coffee?" She asked.

"Oh, yes please." I sigh in relief. Caffeine!

"Say, how old are you?" She asks, turning on the coffee machine.

"16." I answer.

"Oh, same as my son." She said. "You'll probably see him at school."

Right, I now lived in a town where there was only one highschool.

She handed us two steaming mugs of coffee, and we thanked her profusely.

I looked around at the shop, the bright red, white, and black eighties decor making for a very cheery diner.

My father had struck up a conversation with Emma as she worked.

"Yeah, I live above the shop, with my son. Granny lives in the other flat." She was saying.

They talked for a bit, until my dad left to go get the boxes from the car.

I sat there, nursing my coffee.

I heard the thump-thump of footsteps coming down the stairs.

Someone pushed the door open calling, "Mom, where's my-"

The person froze, and so did I.

He was a tall teenaged boy, with messy brown hair and striking green eyes.

To be entirely honest, though, I didn't really register this until later.

Why?

Because he had come down in a button down shirt, in the process of buttoning the first one on the bottom.

I got an eyeful of bare chest.

I quickly looked away.

My face was probably as red as a tomato.

"Why am I so embarrassed? I've seen guys shirtless before. Like at the pool!" I thought to myself.

I don't even know this guy's name.

"Henry!" I heard Emma hiss.

Oh, so that's his name…

"Well how was I supposed to know someone was in here before opening time?" He said indignantly.

"I've told you over and over, don't come down half dressed, we have a glass storefront!" Emma retorted.

"Okay, okay…" He muttered.

After a while of staring at the tiles on the floor, Emma called to me. "You can look up now, he's back to PG."

I laughed weakly, looking up.

"Hi." I said to Henry.

"Hi yourself." He walked over, holding out his hand for me to shake. "Sorry if I traumatized you or something."

"S'alright." I laugh. "I've seen worse..

No I haven't.

"Violet Knight." I said, shaking his hand.

"Henry Swan." He answers. "So, you're the new neighbor?"

"Yeah, looks like it." I said.

"Cool. You should come back down here tonight. I'll be working, but I'll try and introduce you to some people."

"Um, okay." I said uncertainly.

"Violet, you should go home, get some sleep then." Emma said.

"Um, yeah, yeah, sure." I get up unsteadily.

I reach for my purse. "How much do I owe you for the coffee?"

Emma smiled. "It's on the house."

"Oh, I couldn't…" I began.

"Don't worry about it. Think of it as a sorry gift. For any trauma he may have caused you." She smirked.

I laughed. "Well, thanks then."

I head out the door.

"See you later." Henry called after me.

And as I fall into my bed, I can't help but think about a certain cute stranger.

* * *

By the time I woke up, it was 12 o'clock, and I was still pretty tired.

I spent a while reading, and when my dad came to check on me, I told him I was still tired.

Knock, knock. He was back.

"Hey, Violet." My dad said.

"What..." I groaned.

"Come on, get dressed. Guess who just arrived?" He smiled.

I gasped. "Oh, they brought Nicodemus!"

"Yes. He's boarding a stables just a 5 minute walk from here." He smiled. "Well, get going."

I jump out of bed and change quickly into my riding pants and boot socks.

I practically run to the stables. I check in, tell them who I am, and run in to find Nicodemus.

He'd been given stall near the front, so he could hear the cars go by.

I loved that I didn't have to travel 30 minutes by train to get to my horse.

"Oh, Nicodemus… I missed you baby." I whispered in her ear.

He nickered back to me, letting me hug him.

"Come on." I said eagerly. "Let's go riding."

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! More on the way...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's part 2!**

 **Thanks to Gracie Paige Hatter for her review!**

* * *

Sometimes, I hate my mother's genes.

Yeah, I get a good survival instinct, but the blushing at every little thing? It's annoyong.

I don't even know why I was blushing when Violet came into the shop.

It was about 3 on Sunday afternoon, so the final customers of the after church rush were just trickling out.

I didn't even know why I blushed when she walked in, I barely knew her!

Well, maybe I knew.

For one, I was kind of half dressed I first saw her.

But another reason was that she looked stunning.

Her hair was windblown, and her cheeks were pink from heat and exertion, and she was smiling a smile worthy of a princess.

She was wearing strange pants and tall riding boots.

When she spotted me, she waved, and I called her over.

She was practically bouncing as she walked over.

"Hey. Um, so, you look like you had fun." I said, cursing my lack of wittiness.

"Yeah," Her smile glowed. "I had a pretty good day."

"That's good." Yeah, Henry, be even more awkward, that's sure to help.

"So, um…" I frantically grasp for something to say. "What's with the outfit?"

I want to kick myself as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I talk to a pretty girl and insult her clothing. Good going.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." My subconscious sneers. "You don't like her, remember. Barely know her."

She looked down, not hearing my mental struggles.

She looked down. "Oh." She laughed. "I was riding. I guess it does look really strange if you're not used to it."

Crisis averted. Internally, I sighed in relief.

"So, where are you from?" I asked, trying to avoid awkward.

"New York. Manhattan, actually." She answers.

Wow.

"What was that like?" I asked.

"Nothing like here, that's for sure." She laughed.

I opened my mouth to answer, when my mom cut me off.

"Henry, order for table 9!"

I deliver table 9 their food, a bunch of giggly soon-to-be sophomores.

"Um, you work here all summer?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Yeah. My family owns the place. I thought if I was going to be hanging around here all summer, I might as well make some cash. Even though I make less than minimum wage!"

I directed the last part into the kitchen where my mom was.

"Whatever Henry!" She called back. "I am your mother."

I raised my eyebrow, looking at Violet.

"I should go to the law." I said. "It might actually work, the law is my uncle. He adores me."

She giggled adorably.

"So, um, how do you like Storybrooke?" I asked. "Probably nothing on New York."

She shrugged. "I don't know. Storybrooke has open space, peace and quiet, and definitely much nicer people."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or pleased." I smirked.

She laughed aloud. "No, no, I mean, you guys were so nice, letting us in at 6 in the morning. I I barely knew my neighbors in New York."

"Really?" I smiled.

"Yeah. I called one of them 'The Lady Next Door'." She giggled again.

I burst out laughing. "No way."

"Yeah. I wish I knew her name. She had a lot of cats." Came the answer.

A bunch of girls got up from their tables, giggling and whispering loudly.

"Bye Henry!" One of them called.

"Um, bye." I said. trying to place who exactly they were.

They didn't seem to notice, they just giggled harder.

"Okay…" I muttered, confused.

"Friends of yours?" Violet asked, a small smirk on her face.

"Not really. Barely know them." I shrugged.

"Okay…" She giggled.

"Henry…" Mom called.

"Yes Mother?" I called back, trying to make my voice as mockingly sweet as possible.

"Get the order from table 2. You were supposed to get it when they came in. You're working, remember?" I could practically hear her rolling her eyes from here.

I rolled mine back. "On it."

I handed my Mom the order, and went back to Violet.

"As my mother so aptly reminded me, I am working. So, can I get you something?" I asked.

"Um, actually, we don't have anything in the fridge yet, so my dad and I need food for tonight." She said.

"Sure. What do you guys want?" I asked.

"Anything." She shrugged. "What do you recommend?"

"I'd recommend the hamburgers." I said.

"Alright. We'll have a couple of those then." She smiled.

I talked to Mom, who boxed up a couple hamburgers.

"Thanks! Um…" She pulled some money out of her wallet. "Here."

"No, don't-" I began.

She cut me off. "I checked the menu. That is the the approximate cost of this food, a couple cents over." She looked at me intensely.

"Okay." I said, her eyes boring into me.

"Thank you so much for this. It was fun talking to you, but I'll let you get back to work." She said.

"Bye." I said.

"Bye!" She called behind her.

As she left, I had to shake myself out of it.

I was going insane.

* * *

 **I told you it was cliched...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay so this is the same scene as the last bit, but from Violet's POV.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

I walked back to town, giddy with adrenaline.

It was going to be amazing having Nicodemus so close, with so much open riding space.

I walked into the diner, which looked so different in full daylight.

It was happy looking, the eighties decor practically shining.

I spotted, Henry and waved. He called me over.

I had to physically stop myself from checking for someone behind me.

Though I didn't particularly want to admit it, Henry was a good-looking guy, was probably pretty popular. Guys like that didn't really talk to girls like me.

"Hey. Um, so, you look like you had fun." He said.

"Yeah, I had a pretty good day." I answered.

Was that what you're supposed to say?

"That's good." Oh god this was awkward. I didn't need to be awkward with the only guy I knew in this entire town.

"So, um…What's with the outfit?" He said.

I looked down at it, inwardly panicking. Was it that bad that a guy noticed?

Then, I noticed I was still in riding clothes. Laughing, I said, "Oh. I was riding. I guess it does look really strange if you're not used to it."

"So, where are you from?" He asked.

"New York. Manhattan, actually." I answered, feeling a pang of nostalgia.

"What was that like?" He asked.

I had to think about it. "Nothing like here, that's for sure."

Suddenly, a voice called "Henry, order for table 9!".

When he walked off, I racked my brain for something to say.

"Um, you work here all summer?" that was the best I could come up with.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. My family owns the place. I thought if I was going to be hanging around here all summer, I might as well make some cash."

He turned and yelled back into the kitchen. "Even though I make less than minimum wage!"

"Whatever Henry!" A voice called back. "I am your mother."

He raised his eyebrows at me. Oh god, he looked so hot…

I had to shake off the thought. He looked at me.

"I should go to the law. It might actually work, the law is my uncle. He adores me." He said conspiratorially.

I giggled.

"So, um, how do you like Storybrooke?Probably nothing on New York." He said, sounding kind of envious.

"I don't know." I really didn't. "Storybrooke has open space, peace and quiet, and definitely much nicer people."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or pleased." He smirked. Oh… that smirk should be illegal.

Processing his question, I laughed. "No, no, I mean, you guys were so nice, letting us in at 6 in the morning. I barely knew my neighbors in New York."

"Really?" That smirk again.

"Yeah. I called one of them 'The Lady Next Door'." I giggled.

He burst out laughing. "No way."

"Yeah. I wish I knew her name. She had a lot of cats." I said, not entirely sure why I said it.

A bunch of girls got up from their tables, giggling and whispering, pointing discreetly at Henry.

"Bye Henry!" One of them called.

Okay. This boy was popular. Very popular.

"Um, bye." He said.

They giggled harder at his words.

"Friends of yours?" I smirked.

"Not really. Barely know them." He shrugged.

"Okay…" I giggled at how oblivious he was.

"Henry…" Ms. Swan called.

"Yes Mother?" He said, fake sweetly.

I could help but smile. There was no way I could have ever gotten away with giving my dad that much sass, but Ms. Swan, Emma seemed really cool.

"Get the order from table 2. You were supposed to get it when they came in. You're working, remember?"

Oh, no, was I distracting him? Great.

Henry replied "On it." and walked off.

I watched him working. Woww, he was really professional, especially for a teenaged guy. But I guess that's what happens when your family own at a diner that you've always been working at.

As soon as he was done, he came back over to me. "As my mother so aptly reminded me, I am working. So, can I get you something?"

That was actually really sweet!

"Um, actually, we don't have anything in the fridge yet, so my dad and I need food for tonight." I said uncertainly, not wanting him to go be serving me on top of his other work, not when he'd been so nice.

"Sure. What do you guys want?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Anything. What do you recommend?" I said hastily.

"I'd recommend the hamburgers." he smiled.

"Alright. We'll have a couple of those then." I smiled back.

He went into the back.

Quickly grabbing a menu, I checked the price. About $5.

Soon he was back with my food, all neatly packed in a box.

"Thanks! Um…" I dug out my wallet and handed him $20. "Here."

"No, don't-" he started to protest, but I cut him off.

"I checked the menu. That is the the approximate cost of this food, a couple cents over." I looked at him, daring him to argue. It was a look that was practically my shield of safety in New York.

"Okay." He said, smoothly, looking right back.

I tried really hard not to blush.

"Thank you so much for this. It was fun talking to you, but I'll let you get back to work." I said, almost against my will. The last thing I wanted to do was leave, but I got up.

"Bye." He said.

"Bye!" I called over my shoulder.

I didn't let myself blush until I was out of sight.

* * *

 **More on the way!**


End file.
